A POPULAR entertainment venue in Wrexham has been forced to cancel all upcoming shows.

The Leader has had confirmation from Wrexham Glyndwr University – who house the space within its centre – that William Aston Hall by VMS Live (Wrexham) Ltd will be going into liquidation after a tough year brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rumours of its closure began circulating last month after Manchester-based comedian Jason Manford – who was due to perform at the venue this month – took to social media with a query of his own after the show was cancelled.

He addressed confusion amongst fans who were left thinking that he had cancelled the comedy gig himself.

Tweeting on August 27, he said: “I just need to point out that I haven’t cancelled Wrexham next week! I only found out myself this week! I’m trying to get to bottom of it.”

The venue previously had to address rumours in October 2020 and responded in a series of social media posts at the time denying that they would be closing.

Today, September 1, a Glyndwr university spokesperson said: “As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been an incredibly difficult 16 months for the events industry. We are deeply saddened that VMS Live (Wrexham) Ltd, who are the venue operating company, have ceased trading and will be moving into liquidation.

“VMS Live (Wrexham) Ltd, have total responsibility and control over all performances and ticket sales and Wrexham Glyndwr University fully appreciate that customers who have purchased tickets for future shows (or those that have been postponed) will be anxious about this news.

“We advise those who have purchased tickets to contact their ticket provider directly for any information regarding refunds.

“Unfortunately, as the landlord for the William Aston Hall, the university does not have access to these agencies and is not in a position to process any refunds as no ticket sales have been transacted through us.”

VMS have been approached for comment.